Press Highlights

Researchers have developed a technique for selective expansion of genetically modified hepatocytes, resulting in expression of high levels of transgenes in livers of mice. Sean Nygaard et al (Oregon Health and Science University) describe their system for in vivo selection and expansion of genetically modified hepatocytes in the June 8

Polymorphisms in susceptibility genes appear to promote development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) by altering the abilities of immune cells to sense protective signals from the microbiome, researchers report. These findings help fill the missing link between genetic risk variants for IBD and dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiome. More than

Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer, a study concluded. Analyzing medical death rate data over an 8 year period, Marin Makary and Michael Daniel (Johns Hopkins University [JHU]) estimated that more than 250,000 deaths/year are due to medical error

A chemical cousin of an existing drug shows promise for patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a larger waistline increases risk for severe nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and livers from hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected donors are safe for transplant into HCV-infected recipients were all among the exciting findings reported

A genomic analysis of more than half a million people identified 13 individuals who appear to remain healthy despite carrying genetic mutations linked to severe childhood diseases. Although the biological reasons for this resilience are not yet understood, the study provides a first step toward identification of genetic variants that

Altering the intestinal microbiota of mice can reduce the extent of brain damage after a stroke, researchers found. These findings provide a previously unrecognized link between the intestine and the brain. The composition of the intestinal microbiome affects development of the immune system and metabolic processes, and is altered in

Researchers identified a brain enzyme that regulates how much food mice eat in one sitting—deletion of this enzyme caused the mice to increase their food intake to the point of becoming obese. The results could provide new therapeutic target for human obesity. To study brain mechanisms that control meal size

Deaths from almost all cancers in the United States decreased from 1975 to 2012—except for liver cancer. In the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975–2012, published online by the National Cancer Institute, A. Blythe Ryerson et al report that the overall cancer death rates for

The benefits of regularly consuming peanut-containing foods early in life to prevent the development of peanut allergy persist even when subjects stopped peanut consumption for 1 year, a clinical study found. Early introduction of peanuts to infants at high risk for allergy was previously shown to prevent peanut allergy. In a

About the Author

Dr. Kristine Novak is the science editor for Gastroenterology and Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. She has worked as an editor at biomedical research journals and as a science writer for 15 years, covering advances in gastroenterology, hepatology, cancer, immunology, biotechnology, molecular genetics, and clinical trials. She has a PhD in cell biology and an interest in all areas of medical research.